Hour vs Merced Connect
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Hour
This app facilitates rapid texting of notifications to contacts for fundraising campaigns. It allows users to efficiently manage and track responses from their phone's contact list.
- Send quick text notifications
- Target specific contacts
- Track responses
- Fundraising campaign support
- Phone contact integration
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The Hour-A-Thon Quicktext app is designed for users of Hour-A-Thon fundraising campaigns to quickly text notifications to specified contacts in their phone and track responses.
Merced Connect
Access city services and stay informed with the official app for the City of Merced. Submit service requests, view council meeting information, and find community volunteer opportunities.
- Submit service requests
- View city council agendas and minutes
- Make public records requests
- Find volunteer opportunities
- Receive city updates
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The new Merced Connect app is your hub for the latest updates and services from the City of Merced. City of Merced residents can submit service requests directly through their mobile devices. Requests will be automatically routed to the appropriate city department, ensuring a streamlined experience. View city council meeting agendas and minutes, make public records requests, find opportunities to volunteer in your community, and more! Making service requests and accessing city information is now easier than ever before.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Merced Connect at 100% against Hour's 48%. Merced Connect also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.1). Hour's advantage is ratings volume (143 vs 4). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Merced Connect holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hour has 143 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 48% of Hour's written reviews are positive against 100% of Merced Connect's.
Hour ships an update every 3 weeks, Merced Connect monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Hour | Merced Connect |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.1 (143 ratings) | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 48.1% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 143 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.3 — better | 16.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 42 MB | 27 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Buynow AF, LLC | City of Merced |
Customer experience
Hour
Merced Connect
In-app purchases
Hour
No in-app purchases
Merced Connect
No in-app purchases
